Responsive Web Design Answers the Call of Google’s Mobile Update

The latest Google updates have been a big issue for a lot of different marketing professionals and online businesses that are trying to keep their brands relevant in search rankings. It’s difficult enough to keep up with the changes, but then when you add in all the rumors, misinformation and sources claiming to know all about the details of the updates it becomes even more challenging. Google is currently working to get more websites mobile with its changes, giving mobile-friendly Web design top billing on SERPs (search engine results pages) and encouraging the rest to get on board or end up lost in the crowd.

What the Updates Entail

The latest Google update involves the development of websites and apps, including new guidelines that affect the mobile market. There were changes rolled out early on, and the full mobile-friendly update was deployed as of April 2015. The details of the changes include:

– An affect covering many more websites than Penguin or Panda updates

– A new spin on mobile search results and the mobile environment

– An update that ONLY affects mobile search results, not PC-based searches

– An update requiring that websites be mobile-ready to get mobile search rankings

– Google’s algorithms and crawlers are indexing mobile-friendly sites first on mobile searches

What This Means for Your Business

This change affects every business that has an online presence. More than half of all Google searches are conducted on mobile devices today, which is why Google wants to make changes to reflect the audience and their access methods. Any organization that wants to remain relevant in search rankings on the mobile platform needs to ensure that its website is mobile-friendly. Also known as responsive Web design, this method focuses on using one single layout and designing for mobile first. The goal is to create a site that looks the same on any device, making it accessible to anyone.

Responsive Web design is the one of the newest tools that companies have to reach their audiences, get noticed in search rankings and give their users the accessibility and design features that they demand from today’s online companies. What once was suggested for companies, the need for mobile-friendly design, is now a critical element that is going to make or break rankings and reputations. SEO companies and consultants will be able to help you discover all of the details of these updates, including how to best respond to them in your own marketing and design strategies. Generating traffic from mobile search is a must-do when you consider that half of your audience is on the go while they’re searching for products and services.

The bottom line? If your brand isn’t mobile-friendly, you need to get there fast. Otherwise, you’ll end up lost in the search results forever.